Good Old Boy Bob Dole Shreds Ted Cruz, Praises Trump

In politics, there are traditional endorsements, where a well-known and respected individual lets the American people know that they support a particular candidate, and then there is the anti-endorsement. An anti-endorsement is when a well-known figure, who’s respected by some, and intensely disliked by others, lets the American people know which candidate they do not like. An anti-endorsement can be just as valuable as a regular endorsement, depending on the person offering it.

Slowly mummifying former presidential candidate Bob Dole has offered up his anti-endorsement–and the cherry on top? He also let us know whom he prefers.

“If he’s the nominee, we’re going to have wholesale losses in Congress and state offices and governors and legislatures…I question his allegiance to the party…I don’t know how often you’ve heard him say the word ‘Republican’–not very often. I don’t know how he’s going to deal with Congress. Nobody likes him.”

“…there are a lot of good candidates–I like nearly all of them. Except Cruz.”

And there’s a reason why Dole dislikes Cruz so intensely, and wouldn’t vote for him if he were the eventual nominee. He’s butt hurt:

“I might oversleep that day. Cause [Cruz] used to make these speeches. ‘Remember President Dole? Do you remember President McCain?’ The inference was that we were all a bunch of liberals, and only he is a true conservative.”

Wow. I’m literally bawling right now. His poor feelings. If ever there was a good reason to let Hillary in the White House, it’s because your feeling were hurt.

But there is another candidate he’d get out of bed for. Though Dole has formally endorsed Jeb!, he praised Trump as someone with “the right personality” during his NYT interview:

“I think Trump can probably work with Congress, because he’s, you know, he’s got the right personality and he’s kind of a deal-maker…”

So, Cruz is a dangerous conservative extremist, and you might “oversleep” on Election Day in November if he’s the nominee? Where do I sign up to help Ted Cruz?

Bob Dole–who lost the 1996 election in a landslide–is exactly the type of person who’s eroded the foundations of constitutional conservatism by being a “deal-maker.” Dole was an ethanol subsidy devotee (also known as a corporatist), who called Bill Clinton “a good guy,” and allegedly thought Ronald Reagan was too fringe. Dole is an old-school “compromiser.” I put that word in quotes because what “compromise” actually means is “capitulation” to the Democrats.

Ted Cruz sees beyond the smoke. He sees the road down which Republicans have been headed for the last two decades, and knows it leads only to ruin. Ted Cruz is the politician we need because we need a political renaissance. Our system is broken, and people like Bob Dole–well intentioned though they may be–are the ones crippling that system by capitulating over and over again to the demands of the Democrats in the name of “compromise.”

At its core, this is an issue of misplaced trust. Politicians like Dole are naive, they place their trust in people who simply cannot be trusted, and that’s more dangerous than anything else. Cruz, on the other hand, knows just how deranged the opposition is, and is thus better suited to deal with them as president. We need a political MMA fighter, not a capitulator (or a bombastic jackass who’s flip-flopped more times than a hamburger patty at McDonald’s).

So, thank you, Bob. Your hatred of Ted Cruz is the perfect fuel for his campaign.

Frank Camp breathes politics--that, and regular air. After the 2004 election ignited a passion for politics in Frank, he's been dedicated to understanding what makes people think the way they do. His goal at Constitution.com is to arm his fellow conservatives with the tools they need to fight the liberal army in an effective and persuasive manner.